UPDATED: Chemical leak and tarmac damage cause problems on A14

Tarmac damage that caused A14 traffic delays during this morning’s rush hour should be fixed in time for the evening peak.

This morning there were delays on both carriageways between junctions 45 and 44, near Rougham, as Highways England made emergency repairs to the tarmac on lane one of the eastbound carriageway.

The agency was called to the site at about 7.40am due to a ‘Tarmac defect’. Initially, the agency was expecting traffic to return to normal at about 10am but a spokesman said this afternoon that Tarmac for the repair did not arrive until about 2.15pm.

He added: “They are laying it now and, fortunately, it’s dry there which will help setting. We think that will take about two hours and there is no white lining to be done so we’re hoping to reopen it at about 4.30pm – just in time for the majority of the evening rush.”

The problem was discovered 12 hours after emergency services were called to a chemical spill from a lorry on the A14 near Risby.

Fire, police and ambulance attended the weighbridge in Newmarket Road, Risby, at about 7.30pm after a lorry driver travelling on the A14 reported an unknown chemical leaking from a container.

Suffolk Fire Service said 11 appliances were at the scene overnight along with ambulance as a precaution.

The chemical, thought to be a caustic hypochlorite solution, was leaking from a 1,000kg container. A fire service spokesman said the container was made safe and then escorted to Felixstowe by police.